Netflix Cancels Star-Studded Show After 1 Season

Netflix has surprisingly canceled a show that previously spent time in the streamer’s No. 1 spot.

The Boroughs, a new sci-fi series executive produced by Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers, was canceled by Netflix earlier this month after just one season.

Deadline reports that there had been talk about renewing the series starring Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters and Bill Pullman, and that a Season 2 writers room had even been opened. Sources told the outlet that one idea was to film Seasons 2 and 3 back-to-back.

However, that ended up not being the case, and the series created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews was ultimately canceled. The show debuted to strong reviews but soft ratings in May. It tallied a modest 5.6 million views in its opening weekend. In its first week, The Boroughs ballooned to 9.5 million views, but then quickly sank to 3.7 million views the next week, signaling that sustained growth was unlikely.

Expectations were high for the series, which was dubbed as Stranger Things with seniors and launched on the heels of the final season of Stranger Things.

The Boroughs is set in a seemingly picturesque retirement community where a group of unlikely heroes must band together to stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don’t have: time.

It was the second Duffers-produced paranormal series to launch on Netflix this year, following Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. Audience fatigue may have played into the ratings flop. The special effects of The Boroughs also may have put a hefty price tag on the series, something that always counts against shows during renewal decisions.

After The Boroughs premiered to the No. 2 spot in the country on May 22 it quickly shot up to No. 1 on Netflix’s Top 10 chart for the week of May 25-31. Polymarket traders even predicted with 88% odds that it would take the No. 1 spot that week. However, from there, it lost its top spot to Michael Jackson: The Verdict, sinking to No. 5 overall the next week, with The Verdict sitting at No. 1 for multiple weeks.

As of a month after The Boroughs‘ premiere, it has completely fallen off the Netflix Top 10 chart and is not even listed as an option on Polymarket to bet on being a top show.

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